Pencil-sharpener



W. A. WHITNEY.

PENCIL SHARPENER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7. I9I9.

1,330,105. Patented Feb. 10,1920.

4 a i! .Z JJ J0 q Z7 J. Z27 My; 5 do S ji' 4 I gmvantoz V a I r I f M, Quanta WILLIAM A, WHITNEY, 0F ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS; I

PENOIL-SHARPENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

Application filed April 7, 1919. Serial No. 287,934.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM A. WHIT- NEY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Rockford, in the county of WVinnebago and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Pencil-Sharpener, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in pencil sharpeners and is designed to provide a pencil sharpener whereby the pencil is automatically sharpened by blades which tend to maintain their edge indefinitely, and continuously present fresh edges to the portion of the pencil to be out.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a rotatable series of circu lar dished blades movable over a plane surface through one portion of which the part of the pencil to be sharpened projects, and the arrangement is such that after the blade has acted on the pencil the trailing portion of the blade is lifted away from the pencil so as not to drag over the same. The invention also contemplates readily adjustable means for determining the degree of pressure of the blades upon the surface over which theytravel The present application is for the same invention as was claimed in the allowed, forfeited and abandoned application Serial Number 552,419, filed by this same applicant March 30, 1910.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which drawings,

Figure 1 is a, face view of the cutter plate and blades traversing the same, with the chip receptacle in diametric sections.

7 Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l. 1

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the face plate and parts carrying the same with the shaft journal bearing partly in section, the cutters being omitted and the chip receptacle being removed.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 1 of Fig. 1 on a somewhat larger scale.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig- 1 on a larger scale, showing one of the cut ters and its carrying arm.

Figs. 6 and 7 are detail perspective views support for the pencil sharpener.

of the parts associated with the pencil car-v rier. V

Fig. 8 isa perspective view of a guard used as a cover for the chip receptacle.

Referring to the drawings there is shown a chip receptacle 1 constituting the base or In the particular showing of the drawings this receptacle is indicated as cylindrical, but it will be understood that this shape is not mandatory. 1

The upper end of the receptacle is partly covered by a block 2 which may be cast to the desired shape and may be of such size as to occupy somewhat less than one-half the area of the top of the receptacle. This block may be secured to the receptacle by screws 3 or otherwise' One edge of this block is in chord relation to the receptacle 1 and there has formed on it a circularplate 4 preferably though not necessarily in onepiece with the block 2. v

The block or plate 2 carries a journal bearing 5 at the rear of the plate 4 in substantially the axis of the plate i, but at a slight angle thereto. Thejournal bearing 5 has a central passage 6 for a shaft 7 which latter is reduced. at each end as-indicated at 8 and 9, respectively, and there screwthreaded, in theparticular showing of the drawings. The face of the plate 4: is countersunk as indicated at 10 immediately surrounding the central opening 6 where, it

emerges at the face of the plate. The other end of the journal bearing is countersunk and screw-threaded .andreceives a bushing 11 with an accessible'milled edge for ready manipulation. The end 9 of the shaft 7 has applied theretoa crank handlel2 so that the user may readily impart. rotative movement to the shaft 7 when desired;

The other end 8 of the shaft 7 receives first a washer 13 and exterior thereto a nut 16 which as they progress toward the pe-v riphery of the plate 4: are .bent forwardly into a curve constituting, approximately half a circle and from the termination of this bent portion the arms progress radially as indicated at 17, the tips of the extensions This'provides a gripping means for a pencil "introduced into: the socket or pencil holder 7 the edges 21 in a plane coincident with the plane of the active face of the plate 4. This produces upon the periphery of the disk a sharp cutting edge co-extensive with the circumference of the disk.

The arms 16 have a normal tendency toward the plate 4 and the plane portions of the disk are therefore held to the active face of the plate 4with an elastic pressure commensurate with the tendency of the arms 16.

At one; point in the rabbet 18 there is formed a cam projection 22 the purpose of which will presently appear. This projection 22 is in the path of the outer end of the arm extensions 17. i

In tangential relation to the plate or disk 4r-and formedon the back thereof is a socket member 23 projecting at one end beyond the edge of the disk or plate 4: and provided with a through longitudinal passage 24 of a size and shape adapted to receive a lead pencil. This socket member is in use normally in an upright position, assuming the reservoir or receptacle 1 to be resting on a plane horizontal surface, but the socket member23 slants slightly to the plane of the active face of the disk or plate 4L and the lower endof the passage 24 opens into the face of the plated as indicated at 25 while the back wall 26 of the passage 2a approaches the longitudinal axis of the passage so that the shape of this end of the passage 24: is substantially conical or tapered. The upper end of the socket 23 is-interiorly countersunk to receive the reduced end ofa sleeve 26 having an exterior circular series of'teeth 27' projecting slightly beyond the plane of the active face of the plate or disk T 4, this plate being incut slightly at the proper point as indicated, at 28' to accommodate the teeth of the sleeve 26.

The outer end of the sleeve 26 is expanded' circumferentially, as indicated at '29 and there countersunk and interiorly threaded to receive a bushing '80 terminating at "the outer end in a milled manipulating radial flange. The purpose of the sleeve 30 is' toconfine to the outer end of the sleeve 26 an. elastic ring or washer 31 so that the effective diameter of the passage 24at this point'm ay be controlled by the pressure of the sleeve or bushing 30 upon t e ring 31.

and accommodatesthe device to pencils of varying diameter within the usual limits of at the upper end of the socket 23, by a finger V 32 overriding the teeth 27 and held to the socket by a screw 33 or otherwise. The same screw 33 may hold to the socket a spring finger 3a terminating in a guard 35 overriding the outer end of the bushing 30 and serving to guide a pencil into the passage 24; and there holding it in contact with the elastic washer 31. Either the washer 31 or the finger 3 1 may be omitted or both may be used together.

The receptaclelis usually provided with a cover 36 extending to'a'point near the blade 16 and this cover may be provided with a chip directing guard 37 tending to cause chips cut from the pencil to fall into the receptacle 1. I

The bushing 11 is usually provided with a left hand screw-thread so that its tendency when en aged by the adjacent portion of the crank handle 12 is to unscrew and thereby maintain the handle in position and the blades 20 tightly against the base of the plate 1. This bushing 11 may be screwed 1 20 will be brought in succession into engagement with the end of the pencil and pass along this end in the direction of the length of the pencil but the cutting edge will traverse a shallow arc with relation to the length of the pencil so that the cut is to a slight extent a shear cut. 7

Each time an extension 17 passes the teeth 27 of the sleeve '26 they impart a rotative movement of the sleeve a distance equal to the distance between two such teeth 27, and the parts are so related that this 'movement takes placeafter the preceding cutter has acted on the pencil.

The stud 19 constituting the xis of a blade 20 traverses a circular path concentric with relation to their axes andthe face of the plate or disk 4: serves to maintain the cutting edges of the disks orcutters so into the dished disk or cutters, to gravitate that they are always in good cutting condition. Inother words the plate or disk 4 constitutes a scouring element, in contact with the surface of which the cutting edges of cutter disks are yielding held, to produce a self-sharpening effect.

After a disk has acted on the pencil the opposite edge of the disk is dragged over the pencil and in order to prevent a dulling action on this portion of the disk or cutter 20 the cam projection 22 is so located as to raise or lift the corresponding arm 16 in a direction away from the active face of the plate a and therefore at this time the pressure on I may be found deslrable, but usually three the corresponding disk or cutter 20 is relieved and the inactive edge of the disk Where traversing the pencil does not drag over the same with any appreciable force. It will also be noted that the respective disks or cutters being moved away from or out of contact with the plate 4 at the lower end of the opening 25, will permit the chips, lead dust, and other foreign matter which has dropped or drop downwardly from between the cutters and plate. This is of advantage for the reason that the presence of foreign matter within the cutters or between the cutters and plate, would tend to decrease the efficiency of the self sharpening action. 7

By having the longitudinal axis of the shaft slightly out of coincidence with the axis of generation of the plane face of the disk 4, the cutters 20 are brought with greater force against the plane face of the disk at the point where the passage 24; opens at the plane face of the disk and where the pencil is acted upon than at other points on the face of the plate or disk-ft thus renderine the operation of the device easier than would be the case if the frictional engagementwere the same throughout the active face of the disk or plate 4. v

The curvature of the arms 16 permits these arms being made longer than would be the case if they were truly radial and therefore these arms may be made amply strong and at the same time quite elastic to give an elastic pressure of the cutters against the active face of the plate 4.

By having the automatic rotary movement of the cutters upon their supporting axes,

new cutting edges are continually presented and therefore that portion of the edge engaging the lead of the pencil does not become quickly dull while the rest of the blade is comparatively sharp, but the cutting edge remains substantially-equally sharp throughout'its circumference and any dulling of the edge which may take place on the cutter traversing the lead'point of the pencil is remedied by the self-sharpening action of the cutthe shaft 7: 1

The finger-34 serves to hold the pencil so firmly against the elastic washer 31 as to cause a firm grip between'the pencil and the rotary sleeve 26, thus insuring the proper rotation of the pencil during the action of the sharpener. The elastic ring, washer or gasket 31 eliminates the use of holding springs which often become broken, while tlge washer 31 is at all times readily renewa e.

While three cutters have been shown and described itwill be understood that a greater or a lessnumber of cutters may be used as cutters are found to be most desirable in the commercial form of the machine.

I claim:

1. In a pencil sharpener, a member having a grinding surface provided with a pencilreceivlng opening, a dished cutter, and

means for moving the cutter over the said opening and for pressing the same against the grinding surface during its movement.

2. Ina pencil sharpener, a plate having a pencil-receiving opening, a rotary carrier, and a dished cutter disk rotatably carried by an eccentric portion of the carrier to move over the said opening and having its entire edge portion frictionally held against the face of the said plate to be sharpened thereby.

3. In a pencil sharpener, a plate having a pencil-receiving opening, a rotary carrier, a rotary'dished cutter disk carried by an eccentric portion of the carrier and having its edge'portion frictionally bearing against the face of the plate to move over the said opening, and means for lifting the cutter away from off the plate when leaving the said openmg.

4. In a pencil sharpener, a plate having an opening, and a cam, a rotary carrier including a resilient arm, a rotary dished cutter carried by the arm to pass over the said opening, the arm holding the edge of the cutter yieldingly against the plate, and the cam being designed to force the arm away from the plate when the cutter leaves the opening.

. 5. In a pencil sharpener, a member having a grinding surface provided with a pencilreceiving opening, a dished cutter, means for moving the cutter over the said opening and for pressing the cutter yieldingly against the grinding surface during the movement thereof, and means for lifting the cutter away from off the grinding surface when leaving the said opening.

6. A pencil sharpener having, in combination, means for holding a pencil, means for cutting a pencil, and means arranged in cooperativerelation to the pencil sharpening means, whereby during the operation of cut ting the pencil, the pencil cutting means will In testimony that I claim the-foregoing as be sharpened. 1 p b 7 In a pencil sharpfening delvicefihe'lfomiii the presence of two Witnesses.

ination 0 a support or enci sito. e s ar ened a cutting member, ineans for driviriig W M T W N said cutting member to sharpen the pencil, Witnesses: and sharpening means formingpart of the 1 DAVIDHD. MADDEN, device for sharpening said. cutting member. LORETTA LADEN.

own, I have hereto affixed my signature l0 

